Terra Nova
by Isabella Raven
Summary: Now, I have the luxury of regrets. Time to think about what might have been if I’d asked them to take me home. And sometimes I regret it. For the little things. Sunsets. Family dinners. Friends I never had the chance to say goodbye to.'
1. Meraigyn Lauriey

Disclaimer: Julian isn't mine, and the story is based on characters, ideas, and situations created and owned by Gene Rodenberry and his heirs. 

**Meraigyn Lauriey**

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ 

Julian blinked as he woke up, staring in surprise at the plaster-covered ceiling over his head, lit around the edges with some soft phosphorescence. He had expected the dank interior of a ship's cargo hold, and the hard lattice of open decking beneath him instead of a soft bed. He slowly sat up, his eyes scanning the room. 

The floor, and the two doors he spotted were made of a reddish-hued wood, the walls plaster painted a warm red-brown, and there was a window shuttered in the same wood as the floor. Besides the four-poster bed he was in, the room held few other furnishings - a bench beneath the window, and a desk with a chair against the wall opposite the bed. They were all made of wood, only in a walnut color, rather than the reddish wood of the doors and shutters. 

He slid out of the bed, intending to explore where the doors led, when the one next to the desk opened, a young woman peering inside. She smiled when she saw him up, and pushed the door the rest of the way open, coming in with a bundle of clothing that she set on the desk. 

"I see you're awake. I brought you some clean clothing, so you can get out of that filthy uniform." She frowned, looking him over a moment. "I'd forgotten how dirty the inside of the holds of those ships could be." She shook her head, flashing him another smile. "The bathroom's through the other door, if you want to wash up. I'll just step outside while you change, and you can come on out." She turned to leave, and Julian took two long strides across the room, catching her shoulder before she could leave. 

"Where am I?" He was confused, though it didn't show on his face, or in his voice. "And how did I get here?" 

She smiled. "You're on Terra Nova, in my house. You were brought here after a check of the holds of the raiders showed they were carrying slaves again, which they aren't allowed to do if they're crossing through our territory." She took his hand from her shoulder. "I'm Meraigyn, by the way. I'll answer any other questions you might have after you wash up, and change. You'll probably feel better for it." 

Meraigyn slipped out the door, leaving him to change, with many questions still on his mind. He found the bathroom where she said he would, and raised an eyebrow at the massive tub that occupied its own alcove to one side. There was a shower, fortunately, and he took a moment to figure out how it operated. His dirty uniform went down a chute that was next to the bathtub, and he pulled on the shirt and trousers she'd left him. 

Pulling open the door, she saw her curled in a chair in a large room, a book in her lap. Meraigyn looked up when he came out, and set the book aside, uncurling as gracefully as a cat. 

"Are you hungry?" She headed for an open archway, looking back over her shoulder. "I have some fruit, or there's other food in the cold box." 

"Fruit will be fine, thank you." Julian looked around the room, noting where there were doors, and windows. A spiral staircase stood in one corner, made from wrought iron from the look of it. There was a fireplace, and the one wall was one huge window overlooking a valley filled with what appeared to be fields, and a small town next to the glittering track of a waterway of some sort. "Where is this planet? I've never heard of it before." 

"You wouldn't have," came Meraigyn's response from the kitchen. "We're far from the Milky Way, and I doubt anyone back there has the means to travel from one galaxy to another in less than several hundred, possibly thousands of years." She paused, coming out with a basket full of fruit. "Thankfully." 

Julian picked out one that resembled an apple. "So we're in another galaxy altogether?" He bit into the red fruit, and found it was tart and tangy, though it tasted more like a citrus fruit than an apple. "How did you get here?" 

She sat down in the chair she'd been in earlier, gesturing for him to take one of the other seats. "The same way you, and many other people have. The raiders. The first of us were rescued by the nomads who would use this planet, and the others we've settled, for resupply. They gave us some assistance, and we made the planets far more rewarding supply stops." 

Perching on the end of a sofa, he listened as she spoke. "So the raiders have the ability to travel between galaxies, correct?" 

"So do the nomads." Meraigyn shrugged. "But we've never really cared. We don't want to go back. Any of us." 

"How many people live here from our galaxy?" He finished off the apple, looking for a place to put the core. "Where's the trash receptacle?" 

"In the kitchen. The chute next to the outside door." She fell silent until he returned. "As for your other question.... I don't know. Enough to have viable populations of six different species on this planet, as well as populations on three others." 

Julian blinked. "Six?" 

"Humans, Romulans, Cardassians, Bajorans, Ferengi, and Klingons. We have a scattering of other species, but not enough to constitute a viable population of any of them." She shrugged. 

"How do you manage to keep fights from breaking out on a regular basis?" He was intrigued to find out how they'd managed to survive with the clashes that the cultures she'd named often suffered back home. 

She looked at him oddly. "We have to work together to survive. There is no room for the kind of whole-sale warfare our parent races have indulged in in the past." 

"So there are no fights at all?" 

"I'm not saying there are not fights, and there are not disagreements between people, only that there is no warfare between different species." She stood, going to the window, looking out over the valley. "We have spent four hundred years making this work, forging a new life, a new culture that blends those that are brought in. It's been hard work, but it's been worth it." Meraigyn looked over her shoulder at him. "We've even incorporated some of the culture of the nomads who have given us this chance. A whole new galaxy, with many planets that are perfect for colonization, few species that are sentient that could have a claim to this space before we do." She smiled. "It's a wonderful thing, to see a whole new culture emerge from the chaos of a few lonely individuals who have nothing but a few strange faces and their own will to survive." 

Julian opened his mouth to speak when the door beside the window opened, and a young man came in. He had the skull ridges of a Klingon, and the grey skin and neck ridges of a Cardassian. 

"Morning, Madame Lauriey. Sorry I'm late. Treska had her baby last night, and no one got to sleep until it was over." 

Meraigyn turned away from the window, a smile on her face. "It's all right, Kerg. My latest guest woke up this morning, and I've been talking with him." 

The boy, Kerg, looked over at Julian, nodding in greeting. "I am Kerg. It's an honor to meet you." He held out his hand, palm up. 

Julian stood, taking the proffered hand in a firm grip. "Doctor Julian Bashir." He looked out the window, seeing another person coming to the door. "I'm pleased to meet you as well." 

Kerg stepped aside as the door opened again, and a petite Bajoran girl slipped in, followed by another young woman, whose unfinished features made it apparent she was a Changeling. 

"Ah, two of my other three proteges. Terya, and Cora." Meraigyn made the introductions. "Terya, Cora, this is my guest, Julian Bashir." She paused, glancing out the window again. "There he is." 

A Romulan-Trill boy, who couldn't have been older than five, came rushing through the door, stammering apologies for being late. 

"It's ok, Lerik. No one was on time today. And there's someone I want you to meet, my latest guest, Julian Bashir." 

The boy looked up, and a bright smile spread over his face. "Hello! My name's Lerik Kenji. Pleased to meet you." 

Julian couldn't help but return the boy's smile, noticing it was infectious all around. "It's nice to meet you too, Lerik." 

Meraigyn shooed them all to seats, and Julian reclaimed his on the sofa. Kerg had one of the other seats, and Terya plopped down on the other end of the sofa, while Lerik and Cora sat on the floor, all facing towards the chair Meraigyn was in. 

"I hope you all have finished something since last week?" There were murmurs all around, and three of them pulled various items from the packs they'd been carrying. 

Kerg had a small statuette made of the walnut-hued wood that the furnishings were made from, carved to resemble a Klingon woman, with her hand resting on the shoulder of a boy who looked to be a younger version of Kerg himself. It was polished to a soft gleam, and the young man passed it over to Meraigyn. 

Terya pulled out several loose sheets of paper, with pencil sketches on them, of various people. One was Kerg, sitting beneath a tree, the half-finished statuette in one hand, and a carving knife in the other. Another was Lerik with the disassembled parts to something electronic around him, a look of concentration on his face. And one was Cora, shifting from the humanoid form she was currently holding to a large bird. 

Lerik drew from his bag a small computer, setting it up, and tapping the keys on the pad to bring up a short movie sequence on the screen. "I don't have it finished, because I had to take apart the computer and put it back together again. It stopped working." The boy shrugged, and there were chuckles from the others. 

"And you, Cora. What's this week's bit of insight?" Meraigyn turned her hazel eyes to the Changeling, who shrugged. 

"Don't fly in restricted airspace, it's hazardous to your health." A half-grin was on her face as she spoke, and there was another spate of laughter all around. "I got chewed out by half a dozen different officials when I missed seeing the markers at the edge of the space and air field." She sighed. "And I was having so much fun being an eagle." 

"And how did your interview with the Academy go?" 

Cora's smile faded. "I don't know yet, they haven't contacted me about whether or not I'll get in." 

"I'm sure you'll get in, Cora." Lerik smiled at the Changeling. "You'll make a great explorer." 

Cora shrugged. "If I do, I do. If I don't, I don't, and I can try again next year." 

Julian watched as they fell into discussing the projects they were working on, noting that they were all unique in some fashion. Cora and Kerg were rather obvious, and after a few minutes in Lerik's company, one could see why he was here. Julian didn't think he'd ever met any five year old that could take apart a computer, put it back together, and make it work better than it had before. And Terya... He tilted his head, following the conversation, and watching. She appeared to be an avid artist, drawing, painting, and photographing everything. 

"All right. Time for lunch, and then you all have afternoon chores, and don't try to tell me you don't." Meraigyn smiled at her students, and looked over at Julian. "Come on, Julian. I'll take you down into the village after lunch." 


	2. The Village

**The Village**

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ 

After the meal of sandwiches and fruit, Meraigyn handed him a straw hat, and settled one on her own head as she stepped out the door. Lerik and Terya chattered as they walked ahead of the two adults, Kerg vanishing around the bend in the path. Cora hopped onto a rock, shifting into the form of an eagle as she did, using the momentum to get her into the air, soaring away over the valley. The path itself was a simple beaten track between the trees, shaded with shifting patterns of light and shadow from the leaves overhead. 

"Do you do this everyday?" Julian walked beside Meraigyn, the woman watching the two children ahead of them. 

"Meet with my students, or walk this path?" She smiled slightly, keeping her eyes on the ground ahead of her feet, as not to trip over anything. 

He returned the smile, offering her a hand when they came to a set of steep stairs, where Kerg had waited a moment. "Either." 

"No. They come up once a week, and I walk back with them to pick up food and visit friends who live in the village." She grabbed his hand as she stumbled on the last step, Kerg also moving to catch her. "I always have managed to miss that last step." She shook her head, a bemused smile on her face. 

"How do you get news? I didn't see any communications equipment." 

"Treska or her sister, Vanor, come up twice a week to take care of the laundry and refuse, and they bring me news. Any urgent messages are sent up with Cora or Kerg." She shrugged. "Not much, otherwise." 

"Besides, only off-world and council messages are sent electronically." Lerik looked over his shoulder. "And that's all in the town around the space port." 

"Is there anyway for me to contact Starfleet?" Silence fell after he spoke, Lerik and Terya hurrying ahead towards a gap in the trees, Meraigyn lengthening her stride. Julian caught up with her, and matched her pace, concern on his face. "Did I say something wrong?" 

She remained silent for a long moment, coming out of the tree near a fenced field that contained animals resembling horses. "You asked about contacting people outside of this galaxy." Her voice was quiet. "We don't want contact with them. They're the past, and one we're none too proud of. For some, that place is even the recent past, but everyone here has adjusted to living without outside contact beyond the sporadic new arrivals like yourself." 

Leaning against a fence, she looked at the horses, continuing before he could speak. "We love what we've built here, are proud of our achievements. What use would it be to have them to find us, and attempt to lay claim to those who are here? Or to condemn those who have given up the old customs that don't work here?" Meraigyn looked over at him. "We're happy without them, and don't want that to change. Is that too hard to understand?" 

Julian shook his head, meeting her eyes. "My apologies, Ms. Lauriey. I didn't intend to upset any of you." 

Meraigyn smiled, looking at the horses again as they came over looking for treats. "Please, call me Meraigyn." She stroked the nose of one of the beasts before turning away from the fence again. "Only my students call me Miss Lauriey. It's about four kilometers to the village, and we really shouldn't linger too long in the sun at this time of day." 

~~~ ~~~

When they arrived in the village, there were greetings called to Meraigyn from various people, many of them looking at Julian with curiosity for a moment before going back to what they were doing. There were members of almost all the major races from the Alpha Quadrant there, and some that he didn't recognize. The architecture was a curious, and aesthetic blend of styles that suited the people who lived in the village. 

Meraigyn stopped at a house near the center of the small settlement, where Terya was hauling water from a well into a kitchen. "Terya's family provides me with bread and fruit in return for working with her on her art. Her mother is an artist herself, one of the people who was with the original settlers who designed this settlement." She kept her voice low, smiling as a Bajoran woman came out to greet them. 

"Good afternoon, Meraigyn. I see you are well, as always." She looked over at Julian with a slight bit of curiosity in her expression. "Who is the guest they left you with this time?" 

"Nia, this is Julian Bashir. Julian, this is Terya's mother, and my good friend Bera Nia." 

Nia offered her hand, and Julian kissed the back of it, drawing a smile from her. "You are welcome on Terra Nova, Mr. Bashir." 

"Please, call me Julian." 

"Why don't you both come inside? Kerid returned yesterday from the city, and he was looking forward to actually meeting the man they took up to your house." Nia gestured for them to follow her, taking them inside the building, where it was slightly cooler, the room lit from sunlight coming in through large windows, and the same phosphorescent material as he'd seen in Meraigyn's house around the edges of the ceiling. A man was coming in from another room, and smiled when he saw Meraigyn and Julian. 

"Ah, I see your guest has awoken! How are you...?" 

"Julian Bashir." He smiled slightly, taking a seat when it was offered. "Call me Julian." 

"And you can call me Kerid. Would you like something to drink? I know it's a walk from Meraigyn's house, and you must be thirsty." He went over behind a counter, pulling out a ceramic pitcher of water and a trio of wooden cups. "It's good to see a new face sometimes. Perhaps you could tell us a little about yourself, Julian?" 

He accepted the cup of cool water Kerid handed him, taking a sip as the man sat down. "Where could I start?" 

"Perhaps with where you've been?" Terya had come in, and now perched on the arm of her father's chair, the girl ignoring the slight frowns of her parents. "Starfleet is supposed to have gone everywhere there." 

Julian chuckled. "Actually, I am stationed on Deep Space Nine. I'm the chief medical officer there. I don't travel much of the time." 

"Oh." Terya looked disappointed a moment, then she piped up with another question before her parents could change the direction of the conversation. "Where is Deep Space Nine? It's a space station, isn't it?" 

"Yes, it is a space station. It's actually a Bajoran station, but they asked the Federation to lend them assistance running it. The commanding officer is a Bajoran, Colonel Kira Nerys." He took another sip of the water, waiting for the next question. 

"So it's near Bajor?" 

"It's closer to the wormhole than to Bajor, to protect the way to the Gamma Quadrant. And to protect the Alpha Quadrant from the Dominion." 

"What's the Dominion?" 

"Terya, that's enough." Nia shushed her daughter, though the girl looked annoyed. "You have chores to finish, and I'm sure that Julian doesn't need to be pestered by your questions right now." 

"But mama, I want to know!" Terya protested, but her mother narrowed her eyes, and raised an eyebrow. 

"It's really not a bother, madame. I don't mind answering her questions." 

"See, mama? Please?" 

"No." Nia shook her head. "I don't mean to imply you wouldn't mind answering her questions, Julian. But she does have her chores to finish, and you will be around for her to talk to later. Perhaps not today, but there's plenty of time to talk some other day." 

"I don't intend to stay long, if I can find a ship going back towards the Alpha Quadrant..." He noticed it had gone silent with disapproval, though he could see the light in Terya's eyes when he had mentioned going back. 

"Terya, get the supplies for Meraigyn." Nia's voice was as quiet as Meraigyn's had been earlier. "It was good to meet you, Julian. We will see you next week, as usual, Meraigyn?" 

Meraigyn nodded, standing, and handing her cup back to Kerid. "Thank you for the water, and the food, as always, Nia, Kerid. I wish I had some more time to talk, but I should get back home." 

Julian stood as well, Nia taking back the cup, and he went to help Terya, who was struggling with the heavy pack that held the supplies Meraigyn had come for. He received a grateful smile from the girl, and a frown of annoyance from Meraigyn when he hoisted it onto his back. 

"I'm perfectly capable of carrying it myself, Julian. You don't need to carry it for me." 

"Consider it payment for letting me stay in your house." He smiled charmingly, and she shook her head, though he thought he caught a sparkle of amusement in her eyes before she turned towards the door. 

"I'll see you next week, on time, Terya." She ushered him ahead of him, keeping up a smiling face as she stopped by to talk briefly with Lerik's parents, a lovely Romulan woman, and a Trill man who glanced only briefly in Julian's direction. They gave her a smaller pack, that looked insulated, and she told him they provided her with some of the meat that was butchered for the village. 

She only made one more stop, to congratulate Treska, and her Cardassian husband on their new child. Kerg was up on the roof, doing some repairs, and he waved when he saw them, though he didn't come down. 

~~~ ~~~

Once they were a good distance from the village, Meraigyn grabbed Julian's elbow, whirling him to face her, anger clear in her hazel eyes. "What did you think you were doing? I thought I told you, we don't want contact with that place. Which means no one goes back!" 

He opened his mouth to reply, and she shook her head sharply, cutting him off with a hiss. 

"Don't try to tell me you won't tell anyone we're here. Don't tell me you won't lead anyone back. Even if I believe you, what's to say that no one will extract the information from you regardless?" Her eyes pleaded with him to understand what she was telling him. 

He crossed his arms, looking at her in disbelief. "You would keep me prisoner here just to keep this place an absolute secret?" 

"I would murder to keep this place safe from the danger that they represent. Do me a favor, Julian, and forget about going back. No one here will let that happen, not and risk losing everything we have worked for." Her eyes bored into his, dead sincere. 

"I won't mention it again." 

"But you won't stop thinking about it so easily." She raised an eyebrow, and he shrugged. "At least it is a start. I hope that you eventually accept that there is not going to be a way to return." She turned back to the path. "Let's get these supplies back to the house, and then I'll make dinner." 

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ 

**Author's Notes**

Nenya Culariel - 

Thank you for the review!   
I cannot say if Julian will get home or stay on Terra Nova without giving away the plot, as that is the question central to the plot. *smiles* And I'm glad you liked Cora - I find her fun to work with, when she shows up in the story.   
I didn't mean to mispell Bajoran. *looks embarressed* Thanks for catching that, it is fixed now. 

cryogenie - 

I noticed the lack of Julian fics, and was a little dissapointed myself, he's my favorite character on DS9. I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and I will update when I can, about once every week at the outside - if I can judge by my other stories.... 


	3. Narrow Trails

**Chapter 3 – Narrow Trails**

Julian took an apple, and headed up for the rooftop garden that Meraigyn kept while she and her students chattered over lunch, wanting a chance to get away from her ever watchful eye for a short while. For the last week, she'd been meticulous about keeping him in sight when he was outside of the room he'd been given. As if he were something novel and dangerous to the life that the people here had built. 

He bit into the fruit, looking out over the valley as his mind once more came around to the problem of contacting someone back home. Extension courses at Starfleet Medical had not covered inter-galactic communications, and certainly no one here had given him the impression they would be willing to help him on this front. The sound of the trapdoor opening made him look over his shoulder as Lerik climbed onto the roof. 

"Did Meraigyn send you to keep an eye on me?" Julian's voice had a hard edge to it, and he saw Lerik wince, the boy shaking his head. 

"No." He came over, perching on one of the benches that were set so people could watch the sunset from the roof. "You said last week that you wanted a way to contact your Starfleet." His voice was calmly matter-of-fact, as if he was remarking on the weather. 

Julian raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you know of a way to do so?" 

Lerik shrugged. "I would have to get my hands on the schematics for the normal communications arrays, and find grandmother's notes on the inter-galactic void and the engines used to traverse it. Time to study them, materials to build a device, a place to use it." He wrinkled his nose. "I don't even know if it's possible, actually, or if I can make it work." 

Julian took a seat on the other stone bench. "Is there anyone else who can, and is willing, to help with this?" 

"The only other person I know who can and will isn't allowed to set foot on Terra Nova until her current host body is failing." He snorted. "Council didn't like Leet's ideas on re-establishing contact." 

"How long would it take you?" Julian didn't like putting this kind of burden on a boy not even old enough to look after himself, but he had few options at the moment, and Lerik had offered to help. "Would it be useful for you to have an extra set of hands?" 

"I don't know how long it would take, and Miss Lauriey isn't likely to let you down into the village for a while after what happened last week." The boy's black eyes met Julian's. "It'll be weeks, at least. Months, probably." 

Julian sighed, glancing down into the valley again. He would be trapped here for some time yet. Perhaps he should do his best to at least work his way into Meraigyn's good graces, and out from under her constant vigil. 

"Maybe, if you can convince Meraigyn you're not going to mention you want to go back, she'll let you come down in time for the harvest festival." Lerik grinned at Julian. "It's fun, everyone gets together, and we head to the city for the holiday. Everyone is at the city for the holiday." His eyes gleamed speculatively, though he held back what he was going to say as the trapdoor hissed open again. 

Meraigyn smiled as she stuck her head over the edge. "Lerik, it's time to get going. Your parents will be upset if you don't return home on time." 

Lerik hopped off the bench. "Really, it isn't all that bad here. You just gotta take time and get used to it." He flashed a grin at Julian, than dashed off to get himself home. Meraigyn came up, watching the boy as he left with an odd expression on her face. 

"What were you two talking about?" She settled into the spot Lerik had vacated, tilting her head slightly with curiosity. 

Julian smiled charmingly, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "He was hoping I'd be allowed out for the harvest festival." His tone held a sardonic note that made Meraigyn blush slightly, though she continued to hold his gaze. 

"I have been an ungracious hostess. I apologize for my rudeness, it's just that the last guest I had never let go of wanting to go back." Her nose wrinkled slightly. "I don't know where she managed to run off to, and I'm afraid one of these days, Vanor is going to come home from one of her hunting expeditions with the girl's body. Or her bones." 

"Quite a morbid thought." 

Meraigyn shrugged. "It's possible, if you don't know the land, to get yourself killed in these mountains." She paused, then changed the subject. "I won't have the time today, since I have to fetch supplies from the village, but if you would like, there are several hiking trails through the mountains, and I can show you the best ones." She smiled. "There are some spectacular views along some of them." 

Julian returned her smile. "It would be a pleasure."

* * *

"Morning, Julian." Meraigyn was packing a basket with food as he came into the kitchen, yawning. "I made up pancakes for breakfast, and there's fresh butter and preserves from Nia and Kerid to put on them." 

"Sounds delicious." He found a plate on the table with the still steaming pancakes, along with the condiments she'd mentioned. "Packing a picnic lunch?" 

"Apples, sausage, bread, cheese, and water. There's an excellent spot for a picnic along the trail that offers a spectacular view of a waterfall. About ten kilometers hike there." She tucked a table cloth into the top of the basket before closing it, and fastening the leather strap that kept it shut. 

He finished his pancakes as she slathered her face and neck with sunblock, and offered to carry the basket. 

"If you want, you may. Though you may find you'd rather not at one part of the trail. I've hiked out there before, so I can carry it." She shrugged. "And I'll carry it back if you carry it there." 

Julian hefted the basket, sliding the straps over his shoulders while Meraigyn grabbed a pair of large water skins, slinging them across her back. Today she had a cloth tied over her hair rather than a hat, and she offered the sunblock and another head cloth to him before they headed out the kitchen door. 

The day was warm, though there was a hint of the crispness that autumn would soon bring, and sunlight poured over the path as they climbed up the mountain, and through a narrow pass into another small valley. Below, a river wound between the trees, glittering as it rushed along. The walls were steep, and the path narrowed a short distance further along to little more than a goat trail. 

He looked over at Meraigyn with a raised eyebrow. "How often have you hiked this trail?" 

She shrugged, picking her way along the narrow ledge. "I've lost track. I hike it once every week or two from the time the ice melts in the spring until the first hard freeze in the winter." She paused, looking over her shoulder. "It's not as bad as it looks, Julian. It widens back out in about a kilometer and a half." 

Julian shrugged, and slowly followed, keeping a cautious eye out for signs that the path was going to crumble under his feet. Ahead of him, Meraigyn gave every appearance of being unconcerned. 

"Have you ever gone hiking before, Julian?" Her voice floated back to him as she slid around an outcropping of rock about a kilometer from the pass. 

He edged his way around the rock before he replied. "I have, but not recently." 

She chuckled, pointing out another outcropping about another half kilometer ahead on the trail. "See that rock? The trail widens beyond it, and then there's another four and a half kilometers to the waterfall." Meraigyn paused as she navigated a rough section. "What do you do for sport?" 

"I play racquetball when I have a chance. I've played tennis before, but it's harder to play that on board a station without using a holosuite." He fell silent when the rocks under his feet rolled, concentrating on maintaining his balance on the narrow path. 

There was a noise of discontent from Meraigyn. "I've never actually seen a game of racquetball, and I rather not even attempt tennis." She shrugged slightly. "I prefer hiking and swimming myself, and dance routines." Silence fell again as they navigated the rest of the section, eeling around the rock to find a broader path shaded by trees on either side. They paused, Meraigyn passing him one of the water skins after she took a long gulp. 

"You said it was how much further?" 

"Four and a half kilometers. All shaded like this until we get to the ledge above the waterfall. The view is gorgeous from there." She accepted back the water skin, starting off once more.

* * *

Meraigyn spread the cloth over the broad sandstone ledge as Julian observed the view. It was spectacular. Water thundered over the cliff about fifty meters away, foaming around jagged rocks forty meters below, the river churning from the pool it formed into a series of rapids that smoothed out as it continued along the valley floor. From their vantage point, in fact, the entire valley was visible, even the goat trail they'd come along. 

"Gorgeous, isn't it?" 

He turned to see Meraigyn grinning, the food already unpacked and laid out. She gestured towards the view to emphasize her question, and Julian nodded as he sat down with his back to the waterfall. 

"It's one of the places I like to come a lot, and to show new arrivals under my watch." She reached for a sausage, wrapping it in bread along with some cheese, taking a bite as she looked out over the valley. "Most of Terra Nova is like this. Raw and untamed." 

Julian helped himself to the food as well, hungry after the arduous hike. "It's a lovely view, though a bit difficult to get to." 

Meraigyn looked over at him, and shrugged. "If you don't like hiking, I suppose it would be a trifle daunting." Another bite of food. "I'm sorry I left you without anything much to do for the last week." She colored slightly with embarrassment. "I was a bit paranoid about what you said about finding a ship heading back there, I'm afraid." 

Julian echoed her earlier shrug. "I still hope I might find a ship going back at some point. Though I doubt it will be anytime soon." 

"If ever." She gave him a sour look. "Just don't talk about it in company, Julian. There are very few people who even would want communication with the Milky Way, particularly the Alpha Quadrant, and they have learned to keep their opinion to themselves. Most of them." 

"Most?" 

Her nose wrinkled, and she was silent for several minutes before she spoke. "Dexi Leet. The Leet symbiote has not made herself popular with the people here with her outspoken views on contact with the parent races." 

"I take it she would want to return?" He watched Meraigyn with curiosity in his expression, and she shrugged. 

"I don't know if she wants to actually return. Though she definitely supports the idea that we should establish communications with them, let them know we exist. Needless to say, it is not a widely popular sentiment, particularly those who remember the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian Order." 

"I would imagine." 

"Would you like an apple, Julian?" Meraigyn's question made it clear she wouldn't pursue that line of conversation any further, and they soon found other topics to talk about as they ate.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

cryogenie - 

I'm glad you are enjoying the story, and I do hope I keep Julian up to expectations. I will update as often as I can. 

Samantha - 

No one in this fandom could beat him out for my favorite, certainly... grins And here is more, and I do hope to have another chapter done in about a week or so. 


	4. Horses and Regrets

**Chapter 4 – Horses and Regrets**

"Have you ever ridden a horse?" Meraigyn's eyes met his over her mug of tea, sparkling with mischief, and Julian shook his head. "We will have to remedy that today. It's a perfect day for riding." She set her mug down, and headed for the door hidden by the stairs. He followed her, curious as to where the door led, and raised an eyebrow when he came to the bottom of the stairs. 

In the room were a replicator, and a pair of computer terminals, one with a keyboard in front of it. Meraigyn waved him into the room, and he stepped off the stairs, following her over to the replicator. 

"The replicator is pre-programmed with the sizes we got from your uniform and boots. It's designed for clothing creation only. So you can come down here and get a new set of clothing when you run out of clean ones. For now." 

"And the terminals?" 

"One keeps tabs on the generator that powers all of this, and controls the features that keep this place from freezing in the winter. The other is for official council dispatches only. It's keyed to my voice and retinal patterns only. And the monitoring computer responds only to the technician who comes up every two months to check on things, if nothing goes wrong." She smiled slightly, a wry twist of the lips. "I normally don't let new arrivals see this room for several months, actually. Not since one of them tried to break the security on the generator computer, and blow up the house. He'd only been here a few days, and he never did accept that there was no going back." 

Julian got the replicator to make him some riding clothes and boots, then preceded Meraigyn out of the basement. He knew she was making sure he knew there was no way to return, and encouraging him to adapt to life here. But there had to be a way to return home, even if it was a longer route than the way here. He just had to wait for Lerik to find what he needed for a communicator, and he could talk to someone about a discreet pick up, so that they didn't disturb the lives of those who already lived here.

* * *

Meraigyn led him down a different path into the valley, emerging from the trees near a stable, waving to a young woman who came out of them leading a horse with a saddle, and a second loaded with supplies. "Leaving already, Vanor?" 

Vanor shrugged, her black eyes regarding Julian with a faint curiosity. "You know I don't stay in the village long. My trap lines don't allow that." She paused. "Who's this?" 

"Julian Bashir. He's a new arrival." Meraigyn touched his shoulder, heading for the stables. "I'm taking him out riding today. Good hunting, Vanor." 

The other woman nodded, swinging up onto her horse, and headed up the trail as they went into the stables. Inside, Meraigyn took her saddle down from the pegs, then stepped out into the yard, whistling sharply, a tri-note pattern that summoned a lovely black horse with a perfect white star on the forehead. 

"His name is Gabriel," said Meraigyn warmly as she saddled the horse, Gabriel nudging her shoulder in a plea for treats. "Once you're in the saddle, just keep your feet in the stirrups, and hold onto the saddle bow until you get the feel of him gait. I'll keep him on a lead rope for now."

* * *

They spent most of their day down in the valley, Julian learning rapidly, and soon graduating to a horse of his own without a lead rope. Gabriel snorted at the geldling he was riding, and Meraigyn controlled him with as few sharp words. "Care to take one of the trails tomorrow, Julian?" She smiled over at him, and he shrugged. 

"If you'd like to, I'd be happy to come along." He returned her smile, the horses ambling towards the stables. "Though I am curious. When is the harvest festival?" 

"A couple of weeks. It's almost harvest time for our climate belt, and festival is after we've brought in the crops from the fields. We take them into the city, and everyone finds someplace to stay for the week of celebrations." Meraigyn grinned, pulling Gabriel to a halt. "It's a celebration of our freedom, as it were." 

Julian swung off the horse as Meraigyn dismounted hers, the two leading the horses into the stable. "A celebration of freedom?" 

"Yes. Freedom from the old laws, from old feuds and prejudices, from old taboos and from the expectations of our parent races. Literal freedom from the raiders, and the chance and resources to keep that freedom. For everyone on Terra Nova, and our sister planets." She shrugged, leading Gabriel into a stall. "We've worked for it, and this is one of our rewards." 

He unsaddled his horse, replying over the stall divider. "You've overcome all the prejudices of the parent races?" 

"Not all of them." Meraigyn brushed her horse as she spoke. "It's taken us four hundred years to heal the rifts that we have enough to prevent war from breaking out." She ducked under Gabriel's head to the other side, smiling at Julian. "The worst part is integrating newcomers, with the hatreds and preconceptions they bring here." Her lips quirked in a wry grin. "And their clinging to the laws they grew up with. It makes integration a chore." 

"I'll try not to make your life difficult." Julian returned her smile as he rubbed down his horse. 

"I'm sure you won't." Meraigyn put up the tools after the finished, and tucked her arm into his. "What would you like for dinner, Julian?" 

"What do you have to offer?" 

"Fruit, sausage, cheese. I have rice and bread in the pantry, roots in the cellar. Oh, and steaks in the cold box, courtesy of Kerg and his sisters." 

"Sounds like you had something in mind already." He looked over at Meraigyn, and she shrugged. 

"Something other than the usual cold dinner seemed like an excellent idea. Particularly when the weather is beginning to cool."

* * *

Julian lit the candles in the main room as Meraigyn brought in a plate of fried apples and walnuts, sitting on the sofa beside him. Se offered them to him silently, the plate steaming in the chilly evening air. 

The fruit was sweet, and the sticky caramel covered his fingers. Meraigyn crunched on the walnuts, licking her fingers clean. They watched the sun set as they ate, a brilliant display of color visible through the massive window overlooking the valley. 

"It lovely, isn't it? The view of the sunset over the valley." Meraigyn's voice was soft. "It reminds me of all the sunsets I missed back on Earth, sometimes. The people I could have watched them with." 

Julian looked over, and saw the gleam of unshed tears in her eyes. "Do you ever regret coming here?" 

"When the first of us were brought here, there was no time for regrets. Only survival. It never occurred to any of us to ask to go back. Vera was in fear of the Obsidian Order, and what they would do to find out where she had been taken, and what they could learn from it. Kavel couldn't deal with the shame and dishonor he would endure returning to the Klingon Empire after having been a prisoner of slavers. We often wondered how he managed to remain here, without killing himself. I didn't want to go back to the Sanctuary Districts, where I had been living. Those places were hell on Earth. Nidak was Tal Shiar, but that only meant he knew what he'd be going back to. And Nia wanted nothing more than to meet the challenge of bending a new world to our collective will." She smiled, shaking her head. 

"We were a strange lot. But none of us had any regrets at the time." She paused, staring into space. "Now, I have the luxury of regrets. Time to think about what might have been if I'd asked them to take me home. And sometimes I regret it. For the little things. Sunsets. Family dinners. Friends I never had the chance to say goodbye to." She reached up to wipe tears out of her eyes. 

"But?" Julian kept his voice low, watching her face. 

"But there are so many more reasons to be glad I chose to stay. The chance to see not only a new world, but a new galaxy. The technology to live forever, if I wanted to. Meeting new people, and passing on my knowledge and skills to generation after generation. Being able to pursue the skills and activities I've always wanted to, but never had the time for when I was young. I wouldn't give up this chance for anything." 

"You've made this world your home. No one would want to give up that without a fight." 

Meraigyn looked up at him, giving him a brilliant smile. "No. People usually fight harder to defend their homes." She sighed, looking back out at the deepening twilight. "But it really doesn't matter much out here. Our only real enemies are the raiders, and we know very well how to keep them at bay. No one else but the nomads has the technology to transverse the intergalactic void, and has come to this galaxy." 

"And if someone did find a way here, and discovered Terra Nova?" 

Meraigyn shook her head. "That's an unlikely event any time soon, and it wouldn't do those who found us any good. We won't allow anyone to destroy what we have here." She stood, taking one of the candles. "I'll see you in the morning, Julian."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

ducks Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I had this chapter, and chapter five written, I just haven't typed them up, and posted them. smiles apologetically. 

cryogenie - Thank you for the review. 

Nenya Culariel - Heh, yes there is something about Starfleet doctors... Anyway, I have more, and I'm glad you like everyone. There'll be more of Lerik and his family in the next chapter, and although we don't meet Dexi yet, I'm sure that can be arranged. smiles Also, the idea of whether or not Terra Nova or Earth is home for Meraigyn - or if the galaxy of their birth is indeed home for a majority of those brought to Terra Nova - will come up later, and is important to some of the events that occur later. 

Mijra - Yes, I intend to write more, I just had my Julian-muse go and vanish on me for a while. He's back now, so there will be more forthcoming. 

cherrybloosomjen - And I remember that episode. Yes, what Meraigyn and the council that rules Terra Nova is doing isn't right, but it's what they've done for centuries, and it's the only way they know of to protect those who live there. Things won't always stay status quo, though, so keep an eye out for more. 

prometheus-1984 - I'm sure he could adapt, and perhaps he shall. I still have several more chapters before I resolve the question of whether or not he goes home. And the reasons behind his decision, either way. 

RavenDove - And here is more, and there is another chapter on the way, once I get it typed, and I can post it. is being difficult about uploading, and it's taking quite a bit in order to upload chapters. More hassle than usual. Thank you for pointing out the mistake in chapter three, that has been corrected. And I shall have to read your stories, once I get chapter five typed and posted... 

Scopes Monkey - No, Lerik isn't joined... he's just a much faster learner than others, and can be too smart for his own good, since his emotional maturity and physical self aren't caught up to his intellect. It can be frustrating for him, and I think we shall see more of that later. He does feature in the next chapter, and he will be someone to keep an eye on for later plot considerations. Ah, and Meraigyn didn't actually kill her last guest... the guest ran off on her own, and hasn't been seen since. Whether she is alive or dead, we might never know. We shall see. 


End file.
